CUR: CANINE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
CUR is a canine rescue acronym whose
unsavory history is connected with ALF
and shady animal shelter dealings that
debase genuine dog rescue groups.
Well meaning rescue groups may think the
cutesy acronym will help their cause but
actually, it associates them with one of
the darkest money makers in dogs. The
internet, along with Best Friends, Peta,
HSUS and the Animal Defense League,
may have fueled the Canine Underground Railroad’s
growth and the animal transport
business.
Most rescue groups don’t realize the
origin or the nefarious use of
this new-old activity or that one of the
planet’s most dangerous Animal Rights
Groups laid claim to CUR decades
ago.
The FBI ranked ELF {1}
as a top domestic terrorist group
and an internal DHS report {2} reveals
the ELF/ALF connection. ALF even has a manual on the internet
that lays out plans for carrying out a
CUR rescue. Using
the same name can imply unwanted
connotations to the FBI.
Any group acting on ALF’s advice is
probably serving interests they don’t
understand. By operating in secrecy,
CUR operations
give a black eye to dedicated breed
rescuers. It’s simple. Legitimate
non-profit dog rescue operations do not
require the cover of darkness, nor
should they require safe houses.
Financial collusion between CUR
and animal shelters is also a
real possibility, further jeopardizing
the good work of honest animal
shelters. Here’s why.
Instead of a last chance for potential
pets, CUR rescue groups can be
just another chance for someone to
profit at the expense of dogs and cats
in need of homes. An underground
operation sounds more like a clever way for
unscrupulous people/groups to generate
income for dog transport enterprises.
When sites such as International
Literary Arts, operated by one Pam Brodowsky of Moscow, PA offers to sell
her $24.95 report to what she says are
over 25,000 rescue operations it shrieks
of either a huge, organized operation of
corrupt rescues or grossly inflated
rescue group figures.
520 rescue groups
for each of the contiguous United
States? That’s 4 times the average
number of counties per state!
The New Animal Transport/Shelter Business Is Thriving.
Rescue of homeless animals should be a noble and selfless goal but
that is not always the case. With an
unending supply of donations, animal
rescue can be a gold mine for transporters
who claim to be volunteer
rescuers but are in reality, just
entrepreneurs with vans for hire. The
field is so lucrative that animal transport companies are courting
animal shelters.
According to Best Friends, some shelters
publish a list of “
to be destroyed
animals”
(those whose time has
run out). Why would such a list be
circulated? Is it because those
shelters charge rescuers a “pull
fee”
in order to “sell” animals
for rescue? Do those dogs all go to
needy (low inventory) animal shelters
and thus to loving homes? No, it seems
some are doomed to keep riding the
underground railroad
from one shelter to another, sucking up donations through pull
fees, transport fees, etc. The shuffle,
known as riding the rails, can continue
for days, further stressing the dogs
which are meanwhile denied rest, care,
and veterinary treatment.
Such practices can be profitable for a
kill shelter. No more cost for killing
and disposal of potentially adoptable
dogs when there’s a “rescue” group
willing to “buy” those dogs. If the
shelter doesn’t bother to separate the
real volunteers from the commercial
rescues, well, does financial conspiracy
come to mind?
The Import-Shelter-Rescue-Transport
Business.
The transport business spreads disease
from county to county, state to state.
There are documented reports of thousands of diseased dogs imported
{3} from other countries! One site
mentions stripping down after a
transport, clearly indicating
they realize that dogs picked up from
shelters may carry transmissible
diseases. Veterinary groups have
expressed concern about diseases
introduced and passed around by
relocated rescues but the numbers
indicate tons of money involved in
supplying dogs for adoption.>
Homeless pet rescues sparked reports
involving Petfinders.org
on ripoffreport.com as
early as 2003 for tactics that smack of
bait and switch. There
are also published reports of people
buying dogs on Petfinders or similar
sites and then reselling them at a
profit.
PetSmart is known for its Rescue
Waggin program which operates
specially designed trucks to transport
adoptable dogs from overpopulated areas
to “partner shelters” (whatever
that means?) and it claims to have saved
more than 10,000 pets since 2004. No
doubt it would shock PetSmart if those
dogs delivered to partner shelters were
re-rescued for pull fees and became part
of the Canine Underground Railroad! It
has after all, been openly stated that
there is no tracking of information on
rescued dogs and cats. So who would
know?
Rescuing animals is necessary and the
need is greater as the economy worsens.
We must find a way to separate the good
from the questionable. Dropping
CUR from the name of the
legitimate rescue group may be the best
way for animal welfare groups
who rescue and re-home to set
themselves apart from the animal
rights groups that rarely do animal
rescue.
We urge rescuers to operate in the
daylight. To be legitimate you must have
an open door policy and separate your
group from the negative connotation of
CUR.
We are eternally grateful for rescue
groups who sacrifice to save helpless
animals but we should be sure that our
donations actually help the animals and
not private enterprises.
{1}
ELF & ALF Top FBI Domestic Terrorist List
{2}
Wikileaks reveals DHS report on “Animal-Rights Militants."
{3}
CDC Report Indicates Over 400,000 Offshore Shelter Imports
References:
Dog Rescue Gone To The Dogs, more on CUR
Dog Fighting Ring & Shelters
http://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/CUR-CanineUndergroundRailroad_Liquorman-11.asp
#1112
Columns
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No Margins. No Limits. No Kidding.
